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HOUSE  OF   REPRESENTATIVES,  Jax.   17,  ISOo.— Referred 
to  Select  Committee  of  three,  anrl  onlereJ  to  be  printed. 

[By  the  Chair.] 


MESSAGE  OF  THE  PRESIDENT. 

RICHMOND,  Va.,  Jan.  14,  1865. 
To  the  House  of  Repre sent n fives : 

In  response  'to  your  resolution  of  the  24tb  ultimo,  I 
herewith  transmit  for  your  information  a  communication  from  the 
Secretary  of  War,  relative  to  the  passports  which  have  been  issued 
ib  certain  youths  to  leave  the  Confederate  States. 

JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 


COM]\[UNICATION  OF  THE  SECRETARY  OF  WAR. 

War  Dei'art.mknt,  C.  S.  A. 

Richmond,  Jan.  11,  1865. 

To  the  President  of  the  Confederate  States : 

Sir  : 

I  have  received  the  following  resolution  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  referred  by  your  Excellency  to  this  Department: 

"Rt  solved,  That  the  President  be  respectfully  recpiested,  if  not 
incompatible  \uth  the  public  interest,  fo  infonn  this  House  whether 
or  not  the  Secretary  of  War,  or  any  other  officer  of  the  Plxecutive 
Government,  has  ever  granted  permits  or  safe  conducts  to  one  or 
more  youths  of  the  Confe<lerate  States,  wlio  were  about  to  attain  the 
age  that  would  render  thoiii  liable  to  conscription  or  military  service, 
to  go  beyond  the  liniits  of  this  Confederacy;  and  if  any  vonth  or 
youths  of  the  age  designated  have  been,  (»r  are  about  to  be  suffered 
to  depart  the  Confederacy,  to  inform  this  House  of  the  reasons  for 
tlieir  being  permitted  to  go  abioad.'' 

Some  delay  in  replying  has  been  caused  by  the  desire  to  make  as 
thorough  a  research  as  possible  for  any  cases  to  which  the  resolution 
may  be  applicable.  The  only  officers,  besides  myself,  who,  in  the 
practice  of  the  Department,  exercise  the  power  of  granting  [)assport8 
to  leave  the  Confederacy,  are  the  Provost  Marshal  of  this  city  and  the 
Assistant  Secretary  of  War.  Reports  from  both  accompany  this,  and 
give  full  information  of  the  only  cases  acted  on  by  them,  to  which 


the  resolution  can  be  supposed  to  have  application.  Tliese  cases 
were  acted  on  in  the  reuniar  course  of  official  business,  without 
reference  to  me,  and  without  knowledge  on  my  part  until  the  en- 
quiries caused  by  the  resolution  of  the  House. 

The  only  cases  which  are  recollected,  or  after  search,  can  be  found 
to  have  been  acted  on  by  me,  are  two : 

1.  That  of  John  C.  Poulson,  allowed  in  March  18G4.  He  was  the 
son  of  a  citizen  of  Accomack  county,  resident  within  the  lines  of  the 
enemy,  represented  at  that  time  to  be  sixteen  yeare  of  age,  and  satis- 
factoril)'  sliown,  by  medical  testimony,  to  be  a  victim  of  epilepsy,  of 
weak  intellect  and  [diysical  disability.  It  was  sought  to  restore  him 
to  his  fatiier's  care,  and  a  passport  was  given  him  to  pass  by  the  boat 
bearing  flag  of  truce.  As  this  required  the  assent  of  the  federal  au- 
thorities likewise,  it  seems^to  have  been  ineffectual,  as  the  same  youth 
appears  subsequently  to  have  applied  to  the  Provost  Marshal  for  a 
more  general  }>ass,  and  is  among  those  named  by  him  as  having  re- 
ceived passports.  He  had  then  attained  the  age  of  seventeen  years; 
but  as  ai)pears  from  tlie  Provost  Marshal's  report,  was  from  disease 
unfit  for  military  service. 

2.  The  case  of  Henry  Grant,  a  youth  of  sixteen  years  of  age,  on 
the  24th  September  ISG-i,  the  son  of  a  most  estimable  and  loyal  citi- 
zen of  this  city.  He  was  stated  to  be  backward  in  his  studies,  and* 
so  diverted  by  the  incid(!nts  and  distractions  of  the  times  as  to  make 
his  application  almost  hopeless.  His  uncle,  formerly  an  officer  of 
our  army,  now  residing  in  England,  in  the  prosecution  of  business 
important  to  the  Department,  had  offi^-ed  to  n^ceive  him,  and  see  to 
his  proper  training  and  education.  His  passport  was  allowed  Decem- 
ber Gtli,  18G4,  on  the  understanding,  however,  that  should  the,war 
continue,  he  should  be  liable  to  jecall  on  attaining  ujilitarynge.  I 
am  not  positively  informed  whether  this  passport  has  been  used,  but 
presume  it  has  been. 

It' will  be  thus  seen,  that  no  passports  have  be(m  granted  in  cases 
where  it  can  be  properly  said  "youths  were  about  to  attain  the  age  ^ 
that  would  render  them  liable  to  conscription,"  to  go  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  Confederacy.  Where  there  was  even  an  approach  to 
that  age,  care  was  observed  to  obviate  evasion  of  fnture  liability  to 
service.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  deemed  not  inappropriate  to  add, 
.that  no  law  or  obligation  exists  by  which  the  Department  is  required 
»to  refuse  passports  to  go  to  neutral  counti'ies  to  any  loyal  citizen  of 
the  Confederate  States,  not  liable  to  military  service.  Passports  are 
required  from  consideration  of  military  police  alone,  to  preclude  the 
passage  of  dangijrous  or  disaffected  persons;  and  it  might,  perhaps 
with  Justice,  be  deemed  an  offensive  and  gratuitous  presumption  to 
attribute  to  any  loyal  citizen  the  design  of  evading  a  patriotic  duty, 
as  also^M  unwarrantable  assumption  of  authority  by  the  Department, 
to  preclude  ex[)atiiation  or  intercourse  with  neutral  countries,  by  the 
refusal  of  passports  to  those  not  liable  to  military  service.  So  high 
a  prerogativtj,  it  may  be  justly  claimed,  can  only  be  imparted,  and 
should  only  be  exercised,  under  the  regulation  of  law.  If,  therefore, 
it  be  deemed  important  that  passports  be  refused  (except  from  mill- 


taiy  police)  to^aiiy  class  of  our  citizens,  it  is  duo  alike  to  tlie  Depart- 
ment and  the  citizen,  that  it  should  be  prescribed  by  appropriate 
legislation. 

Very  respectfully, 

Ynur  obedient  servant, 

JAMES  A.  SEDI^ON, 

Secretary  of  War. 


REPORT  FROM  ASSISTANT  SECRETARY  OF  WAR. 

Confederate  States  of  America, 

War  Department,        i 

Hi  /imond,  Fa.,  January  7,  18G5. 

Hon.  Jamks  A.  Seddon,  Secretary  of  War: 

Sir: 

I  have  examined  the  resolution  of  enquiry  of  tiie  House 
of  Representatives,  relative  to  the  allowance  of  passports  to  persons 
liable  to  military  duty  under  the  Act'  of  Congress  of  the  17th  Feb- 
ruary last,  or  who  were  about  to  attain  the  age  of  conscription  under 
that  act,  to  enable  them  to  complete  their  education. 

The  passport  usually  issued  from  this  Department  contains  a  per- 
mission to  the  bearer  to  leave  the  Confederate  States,  subject  to  the 
military  regulations  of  the  commander  through  whose  lines  he  is  to 
pass.  If  the  ap[>licant  be  of  the  class  described  in  the  Act  of  Con- 
gress, enquiry  is  made  whether  he  be  exempt;  and  if  not,  the  pass- 
port is  denied.  I  do  not  know  of  any  person  not  exempt  from  mili- 
tary service,  of  the  class  mentioned,  who  has  had  a  passport. 

The  Department  is  not  advised  of  any  Act  of  Congress  that  pro- 
hibits their  citizens  from  leaving  the  Confederate  States,  and  has 
granted^passports  to  persons  not  belonging  to  the  military  class,  when 
properly  assured  that  they  are  loyal,  and  that  there  is  no  reason  to 
apprehend  any  detriment  to  tlte  Confederate  States  by  their  departure 
from  its  limits. 

I  have  signed  passports  in  a  few  instances  for  persons" not  belong-  ^ 
ing  to  the  military  class,  residing  in  different  parts  of  the  Confederacy, 
to  go  abroad  to  complete  their  education.  The  persons  have  been 
generally  youths  from  ten  to  fifteen  years  of  age.  A  few  weeks  ago 
there  was  an  application  on  behalf  of  a  youth  represented  to  be  six- 
teen years  of  age.  In  this  case  there  was  a  medical  certificate  from 
two  ph3'sicians  of  eminence  who  examined  hin^,and  who  represented 
that  he  was  of  "  feeble  constitution,"  of  a  "  scrofulous  tendency," 
"under  size,"  "deficient  in  muscular  activity,"  and  who  would  be 
"  inefficient  as  a  soldier." 

Tins  is  the  closest  approximation  that  I  have  been  able  to  discover 
to  the  case  made  in  the  enquiry  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  in 
my  action. 


I  have  no  acquaintance  wiHi  any  of  the  persons  to  whom  the  pass- 
ports were  issued,  and  liavt;  had  no  intercourse  with  tlieir  parents  or 
guardians,  and  cannot  say  whether  they  have  been  used  or  otherwise. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  A.  CAi\[PRELL, 

Ass't  Sec.  of  War. 


REPORT  FROM  I^JOVOST  MARSHAL. 

,  The  following  is  a  list  of  passports  to  pass  from  the  Confederate 
States,  issued  from  the  oflice  of  tli;^  Provost  ^Nfarsha I  at  Richmond,  to 
males  who  were  beneath,  bui  near  the  age  of  conscription,  and  citi- 
zens of  the  Confedei-ate  States. 

1.  July  2G,  1864;  Frank  AVhitehead  ;  1-5  years  of  age ;  a  native 
of  Georgia  ;  an  orphan  ;  delicate  in  health;  his  father  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  and  all  his  relatives  reside  there ;  destitute. 

2.  John  C.  Poulson;  17  years  of  age;  August  9,  1S()1-;  granted  on 
application  of  Hon.  Robert  Ould,  and  on  a  passport  issued  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  in  May  1S64.  The  record  does  not  state  whether 
citizen  Or  not.  The  records  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  War 
will  show.  He  was  represented  to  be  diseased  and  unfit  for  military 
service. 

3.  Benjamin  G.  Osborne;  1-3  years  of  age;  granted  8th  Septem- 
ber 1864;  he  is  stated  by  surgeons  to  be  of  delicate  constitution; 
sent  to  N(5w  York  to  his  grandparents,  who  reside  there,  and  who 
will  educate  and  provide  for  him. 

^  4.  Frankfin  Stearns,  jr.;  16  ye^irs  old;  granted  Se[)tember  17,. 
1864;  has  a  brother  at  school  in  Paris  ;  allowed  to  go  to  France  to 
join  his  brother  and  be  educated.  >    ^ 

5.  John  H.  Capitaine;  15  years  old  ;  30th  September  1864  ;  al- 
lowed to  go  to  his  relations  in  Switzerland  to  be  educated. 

6.  Wilham  A.  Shafer  ;  1-5  years  old  ;  3d  November  1864  ;  allowed 
to  go  to  Europe  to  be  educated. 

IS.  H.  CARRINGTON, 

Provost  Alanhal. 
Richmond,  January  7,  1865. 


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